Though Civilization III has yet to hit store shelves for any platform, the PC version is just on the horizon. Getting the jump on the ball, The Adrenaline Vault has been hosting a series of strategy guides, written by Firaxis producer Jeff Morris, that focus on Civ III play strategies by era. Currently featured is the Middle Ages, which include the era of early gunpowder, horses, and more available Great Wonders than any other era.

Here's a taste of the guide that focuses on recommended starting advances for the Middle Ages era:

The advances with which you start this era are all attractive. Feudalism gives you Pikemen and Sun Tzu's Art of War (the maintenance cost-cutting warmonger Wonder). The equally useful Monotheism bestows the Cathedral, a very important element in expanding your territory and the first non-Temple happiness city improvement available. Although Ancient Great Wonders like the Hanging Gardens can also allow you to combat unhappiness throughout the continent, it doesn't accelerate cultural development like the Cathedral, which hurts those cities without the Wonder. Engineering is another potential starting advance in the Middle Ages. While it doesn't give the player any flashy units or Wonders, it does allow road bonuses to persist over rivers and is a cornerstone prerequisite for gunpowder. Basically, you can't go wrong with early Middle Ages advances.